Spills happen to all of us. Who hasn't been rushing around in the morning, late for work and dribbled coffee on the floor. Or you walked into the living room to find your adorable 2 year old scribbling her markers onto the new carpet. Please read our helpful hints on how to remove stains from carpet. The best way to treat any stain is clean it as soon as it happens. The longer you wait, the less likely total removal will be.

Coffee

Follow these steps to remove coffee stains from Synthetic and Wool Carpet:

Blot all excess liquid and place a clean pad over the area and weight it down.

When no more is being absorbed, allow the area to thoroughly air dry.

Marker

Prepare suggested cleaning solutions below, beginning with the first one listed.

Pretest the cleaning solution on an inconspicuous spot of carpet to ensure it does not discolor or damage the carpet.

Apply the cleaning solution to the stain area. Note exception: Do not apply dry cleaning fluid directly to carpet. Apply first to cloth and use cloth to apply to carpet. Work from the outside of the stain toward the center.

Allow the cleaning solution to remain on the spill for at least five minutes.

Blot with a clean white cloth until no more stain transfers to the cloth. Do not rub the stain area or you might damage the carpet fibers.

Rinse with cold water. Be sure all cleaning solution is removed from carpet.

If you can still see the stain, repeat the process until either the stain is removed or the stain no longer transfers to the cloth.

If the stain remains, try the next solution on the list and follow the same protocol above. If the stain persists after trying each solution listed, contact a professional cleaner.

Once the stain is removed, place layers of white paper towel on the site to absorb any moisture. Weight down the towels with a non-staining glass or ceramic object. You can let them sit overnight.

Chocolate

If you see that the chocolate has dried, take a butter knife and scrape off as much as the chocolate stain as you can.

After scraping as much chocolate residue as you can from the carpet, vacuum directly over the stain to remove any flakes that may remain.

Cover the affected area with a few paper towels.

Set your clothing iron to the lowest, non-steam setting possible. Move the iron over the paper towels slowly. This should help the chocolate start to stick to the paper towels.

When you’re ironing the paper towels, be sure to keep the temperature steady while doing so.

Repeat steps 1-5 as necessary until the chocolate stain has disappeared.

If any dark spots remain, apply a household carpet cleaner to the area and scrub vigorously. This should lift any remaining residue from the carpet.

Tomato Sauce

Scrape up any dried tomato material with a butter knife -- salsa, ketchup or spaghetti sauce can all leave a sticky residue when dry.

Rinse the stained area with cold water and blot up the excess with paper towels or a clean white cloth.Mix together a couple of tablespoons of dishwashing detergent and 1 cup of cool water. The dishwashing liquid should not contain bleach or hand-softening agents. Saturate the area and work it into the stain without rubbing the fibers.

Rinse the area again with more cold water and put a pad of paper towels down over the area and hold it in place with something waterproof and heavy. The water and remainder of the stain wicks up into the paper toweling.

Apply hydrogen peroxide to any remnant of the stain. Let it set for about an hour. Blot and repeat until the stain is gone. Exposure to light converts the peroxide back into water, so rinsing isn't necessary

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